


proof one can have a thriving dating life on a flying death trap

by ninefish



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: But not that seriously, Crack Treated Seriously, Dad Vader, Luke Skywalker's F- Sex Life, Luke is raised by sith lords but is actually pretty normal, Multi, Skywalker Family Drama, anakin skywalker's a+ parenting, stormtroopers were not trained for this bs, the blind date AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23996818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninefish/pseuds/ninefish
Summary: Or, Luke Skywalker is raised by a well-intentioned, but misguided, Sith dad and complains privately that living on the destroyer is killing his love life.Of course, Darth Vader snoops and finds this ungratefulness unacceptable.He immediately sets up blind dates for his son. Luke reluctantly complies.
Relationships: Bodhi Rook/Luke Skywalker, Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker/Ciena Ree, Luke Skywalker/Everyone
Comments: 29
Kudos: 179





	1. beggars can't be choosers

**Author's Note:**

> happy may the 4th! star wars has brought me so much joy over the years as well as luke & darth vader's dysfunctional father-son relationship. so let's smash those together, shall we?
> 
> i'm not going to tag the relationships in advance (which will probably hop around randomly) so it's a bit of a blind date for y'all as well! (who knows who luke will end up with... ;) )
> 
> enjoy!

Stormtrooper IDG-057 hates Tuesday shifts.

Those are the days he guards the interior of Luke Skywalker’s room aboard the Executor.

“I mean, I’m seventeen, you know? I feel like at this point I should be able to have had more experience than my hand and a few sloppy kisses behind the Academy’s trash chute,” Luke groans, flopping back onto his sofa. 

“Yes, sir,” the stormtrooper says, a bead of cold sweat running down his spine. 

Luke is a strange one. 

Of all the clients stormtrooper IDG-057 has served under, Skywalker is the only one who talks to them like people. 

Which would be nice if the young man didn’t take every opportunity to bemoan his love life— or lack of. 

But IDG-057 also very much is unable to disagree in any capacity to his superior, so he grits his teeth and hopes the vocalizer doesn’t betray his waning patience with the repetitive subjects. There is only so much talk of love life a stormtrooper born and raised to fight in crushing rebellions can handle.

“I don’t know, do you think dad realizes this? He can be overprotective at times, sure, but he always tries to make sure I can experience everything,” Luke sighs, thinking the best of everyone as usual. Even when it came to his somewhat sociopathic, murdering father that was also IDG-057’s commander. 

“I wouldn’t be able to say,” IDG-057 responds, a bit strangled. It felt out of place to talk about Lord Vader so casually. He’s half-anticipating him to break down the door to Skywalker’s private chambers and choke him right there.

That and if he says something wrong, IDG-057 is sure it will result in him being tossed out the airlock. He wouldn’t be the first trooper.

Huh. Now that he thinks about it, the being-treated-as-a-human pales in comparison to just being alive. Not to mention these sorts of thoughts shouldn’t even  _ need _ to be contemplated by a mere guard like IDG-057. This is why he hates Tuesday shifts.

Over the course of the evening, he continues to offer his not-really-needed comments to the teenager, who he’s sure would probably talk just as well to an empty room. But, despite himself, IDG-057 gets a bit involved. 

At one particular story, he finds himself snorting, “I’m sure that was the only reason.” Luke stares at him, a faint smile on his face. IDG-057 realizes his misstep immediately and withdraws into himself. Ice floods into him and he immediately revisualizes Lord Vader materializing. “Sir,” IDG-057 finishes stiffly.

Luke looks at him longer, in a way that makes his fight-or-flight response fire up.

“What’s your designation, trooper?”

IDG-057 holds back a groan. Hell, he’s really done it now.

“IDG-057,” he says, feeling as though he’s the one pressing the button to shoot himself out into cold, unforgiving space.

But Luke just shrugs and lies back down on his couch. “That’s a bit clunky, isn’t it? Can I call you . . . Ed or something?”

The ice melts away. He pauses, “I . . . . That is acceptable, sir.” He’d never been given a name before.

Luke just smiles at him. “Cool. Now, you won’t  _ believe _ what that Toydarian did after that . . .”

IDG-057 stands at attention still, but something inside of him turns the name over and over in his mind. He likes it.

He reevaluates. Tuesdays aren’t half bad. The kid isn’t, either.

(But at the end of the day, IDG-057 is still tired of the constant yapping and he slips an anonymous tip to command. The kid really just needs to talk to his father, even if said father is the enforcer of a galaxy-wide empire. IDG-057 then thinks nothing more of it, the shift compartmentalized, and he’s on his way, until next Tuesday.)

* * *

Luke should know something is up when his father storms into his room. 

“What is it, dad?” Luke presses pause on the holovid of a Loth-cat trying to bathe itself. It’s hilarious and adorable.

“Son, is there something you’re not telling me?” Darth Vader steps closer, mechanical breathing becoming ever so louder.

To any other person, this would be terrifying. It would also probably be the last moments before death. 

But much like how there had been studies that found that those who grew up in households where death sticks were smoked actually found the smell of them comforting, the steady sucking and hissing of Vader’s iron lungs only reminds Luke of curling up to his father when he’d had nightmares as a child. 

Luke raises an eyebrow as he searches through his memory. He can’t think of anything in particular that would have Vader’s agitation seeping through the Force like the water in the Loth-cat’s fur.

Damn, that video was adorable. 

“No?” He finally settles on. Answering a question with another question with Vader is always a safe route.

Luke can feel the reproach in his father’s steel-sheeted gaze. 

“Why, then, have I heard reports of you being dissatisfied with your . . . romantic ventures here by my side?”

Luke blinks. Then immediately wants to roll over and just  _ die _ because having heart-to-heart discussions with Vader is all fun and good until they actually start talking about the heart. Luke doesn’t know how many times he caught Vader silently crying to himself in his meditation chamber about his mother. 

“What?  _ No _ . . . “ Luke makes the first mistake and breaks eye contact. That and he’s red as a tomato. He tries to think of which of his stormtroopers could have spilled the beans. Aw, hell, he’d told that trader too, at that port, hadn’t he? It wasn’t like the man  _ knew _ who Luke’s dad was anyway. 

To his utter bafflement though, Vader sits down awkwardly beside him, his mechanized joints making small whirring noises that are their equivalent of screaming in agony. Luke appreciates the effort. The tablet with the video lies forgotten between them.

“Son, I know it’s been hard with . . .” Vader struggles for a moment, “Padmé no longer being here. But do not let my grief scare you. Love is . . . an amazing, powerful thing. That is why the Jedi were so scared of it, because they were weak.”

Luke stares at his father silently still. He’s not quite sure if this is actually his father. He resists the urge to lift Vader’s helmet and see if a Loth-cat or something has snuck under his helm and is masquerading as a strangely emotionally-aware Darth Vader.

When Vader realizes he’s shell-shocked and not speaking, he continues. “Which is why I’ve taken the liberty to arrange for some dinner meetings for you to assist your mingling.”

“Wait, dad, what?” Luke’s mind is really short-circuiting now.

“I think you underestimate the power of my crew, son. You’ll find there is much potential among the people I’ve selected—”

“Do I get to know who they are?” Luke asks incredulously. 

“Of course not. You must come into this with an open mind, Luke—“

Oh hell no. Luke tunes his father out, disbelief flooding through him.

Darth Vader was setting him up on blind dates.


	2. date 1: bodhi rook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke's internal dialogue: It's the first date. Okay, Luke. Don't mess this up! Oh god, oh fuck - he's cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayy ayy so sorry for the long wait :,) this is kind of my side project, so expect... more sporadic posting. :,,) thank you all for the support to this fic so far <3

Luke is surprised. It isn’t like he expected someone to appear like one of the holomodels . . . but he kind of was. The young man is dressed somewhat warmly, probably thanks to how cold the lower levels of the Devastator can get, but his face is kind and he looks  _ nice _ .

Luke’s never really  _ talked _ about being attracted to people with his dad, but Vader hasn’t done half-bad for a guy encased in a life-support system.

Sithspit, when you had a father you thought was actually some mechanical alien for the first three years of your life, you don’t really know if human biology translates. Even after Luke had realized that his father was, indeed, a human, it still hadn’t felt as easy. Darth Vader tried his best to be accomodating and Luke had never judged him for his appearance, but it was a bit awkward to discuss things as basic as  _ liking _ people when he was sitting outside his father’s meditation pod and it felt like he was being interrupted every five minutes by an emergency on the bridge (usually then followed by strangulation on said bridge).

Luke’s sex education consisted of painfully long lectures with a pale-faced medical professional who looked like he rather die than give the presentation, while knowing that he would, painfully, if he messed it up.

Needless to say, Luke is a bit surprised that the person sitting in front of him looks . . .  _ normal _ . If a bit stressed out himself.

Something in Luke twinges sympathetically. His dad could be rough on the people he wrangled into his plans. Luke tries to put aside his own discomfort for the sake of this poor soul— whatever  _ he _ was feeling was probably nothing compared to this poor bloke.

“Nice meeting you, I’m Luke. What’s your name?” Luke gives an easy smile and sits opposite of the young man. 

“Ensign Rook,” the man weakly responds.

Rook had done his best to smooth thick black hair to something presentable and Luke could further sympathize. Luke guesses the guy is from the Devastator’s base crew, where the best he has to work with is military-grade soap.

“Hey, no need to be so formal. What’s your first name?” Luke encourages.

Rook looks away, embarrassed. “Oh, it’s Bodhi.”

Luke turns the name over in his mind.  _ Bodhi _ . The way it falls from his lips— it’s almost melodic. But Bodhi immediately takes Luke’s silence to clam up and he quickly backtracks.

“Where do you work?” Luke asks, feeling a bit like he’s trying to tame a frightened bantha calf.

Bodhi fidgets slightly, then meets Luke’s eyes again, bashful. Luke’s stunned at how grounded his eyes are. Something about them distracts Luke until he catches onto the tail end of Bodhi’s answer. “ — wanted to be a pilot, but, uh, I’m a cargo pilot. Couldn’t pass the exams. Er, yeah,” he looks ashamed at the fact.

Luke unconsciously leans forward, “a pilot? You fly? Where have you flown? Where did you learn?”

Not to exaggerate, but Luke would  _ kill _ to be a pilot for the Empire, if only his father would let him. And damn it— he was a  _ good _ pilot, too. But Darth Vader was all about “Luke getting himself killed, Luke being irresponsible,” etc, etc, even though Luke  _ knew _ the man had flown far more recklessly than he ever had. 

Luke had argued that the Force would have guided him but  _ of course _ it was those instances where the “unspeakable, limitless powers of the Force” didn’t work like that.

Bodhi relaxes, a topic of mutual interest having been struck. “I grew up on Jedha— lots of cargo ships and trade coming in and out.” He shrugs, “maybe it was fate that I ended up becoming a plain cargo pilot.”

But being a cargo pilot seemed anything but plain to Luke. He flew all over the galaxy with his dad, but he wanted more than just the few supervised field trips and souvenirs Darth Vader brought back for him.

They quickly fell into conversation of all the places Bodhi has flown to, the species he has met, and all of the sights he’s seen on his nearly year-long assignment on the Devastator. Luke is especially enthralled by Bodhi’s story of when he once had to navigate and then land a flaming shuttle under fire. His enquiries were only interrupted by the delivery of their bantha steaks.

Luke whistles, impressed. This definitely beat the military rations that even he fell upon most days. Vader himself didn’t particularly care what he ate, taste buds having been seared away ages ago, and the habit had fallen to Luke as well. Sometimes Vader ate physical foods, to amuse Luke, but it was usually not very worth the effort, what with everything tasting like sandpaper.

They’re silent for a few moments, filling the air with the sound of cutlery and appreciative sounds. Luke glances up occasionally, enjoying the sight of Bodhi using a sort of mishmash of gestures to eat— as though someone had taught him table manners but it had been lost to time and community mess halls. It’s kind of adorable. 

To his horror, Bodhi looks up and meets Luke’s eye. There’s a sort of amused fondness in his eyes and  _ oh wow _ , those  _ eyes _ . Luke immediately stares down at his plate, shoving a piece of deliciously-cooked steak into his mouth before he can laugh nervously or act more stupid.

Luke babbles the first thing in his head. “Not to be blunt, but how did,” he stops himself from saying  _ dad _ , “Darth Vader get you to do this?”

Bodhi stiffens a bit. “It’s my duty to the—” 

Luke waves his hand quickly, “no, no. But like, did he just choose a random name off a roster or something?”

Understanding dawns in Bodhi’s eyes. “Well, he asked all single crew members to assemble and then,” he leans forward, as if nervous Vader is listening from around the corner (Luke wouldn’t put it past his father), “he just  _ stood _ there. Then he picked me out.”

Vader must have been using the Force to vet them, Luke decides. Well, of all the things his father had chastened him for using the Force for, he supposes this is a pretty good one. Plus, it’s nice to know Vader knew that Luke wouldn’t appreciate being a homewrecker.

And Luke’s able to admit that he’s impressed. In ordinary circumstances (though Luke has to laugh at this thought— when has anything about his life been ordinary?), Luke would have loved the date with Bodhi. Maybe he could have even grown to love Bodhi. He was attractive, hard-working, and so what if he was only a cargo pilot?

Luke is half-listening to Bodhi talk about falling asleep in the flight simulator after an all-nighter and too much caf, and half-planning on how to conceded to his father that  _ maybe _ he was right and how to extend Rook’s assignment on the Devastator, when he sees the wire.

Luke squints for a moment at Bodhi, behind that beautifully sculpted ear, and it’s subtle, but Luke’s gone through his father’s counter-intelligence boot camp.

“Are you bugged?” His voice sounds upset even to him, despite his attempt to keep it level.

Bodhi abruptly stops, freezing slightly. It’s the look in his eye that’s all it takes to convince Luke that his suspicion is right. “Yes,” he finally says, softly.

Even though their plates are scraped clean, his stomach feels like an empty chasm he’s dropping into. Luke clenches his fists under the table and he closes his eyes. “It’s my father, right?”

Bodhi gives a silent nod and it takes Luke a moment to identify the emotion rushing up in him is  _ rage _ . Why did Vader  _ always? _ And the date was going  _ so  _ well. Luke feels embarrassingly close to crying in frustration.

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to need you to leave,” Luke says, surprisingly steady. He reaches out with the Force and feels the bug as if it were in his hands, it’s smooth, mechanical presence oozing his father’s touch. For once, it doesn’t fill him with comfort. He shuts it off.

Luke sees just as many emotions flash through Bodhi’s eyes before settling on quiet acceptance. The feeling twinges in him again and he sighs. “It’s not you. I . . . it’s Darth Vader.” The excuse sounds lame even to him. Luke stands up, realizing he may as well give Bodhi the courtesy of seeing him out.

“I enjoyed this— I really did,” Luke says softly. “And, hey, I’d love to continue this. Just . . . maybe not with my dad involved?”

Bodhi cracks the first half-smile since Luke noticed the wire. “I’d like that.”

Luke offers his hand at the door and Bodhi shakes it. His hand is warm and firm and Luke forgets the last time he had such intimate contact and  _ it’s only a hand _ . He lets go quickly, forcing a smile because if not he’s going to say something stupid and really ruin whatever sort of date this was.

When Bodhi leaves, Luke’s hand still tingles.

* * *

Naturally, Darth Vader is waiting outside for Luke, after he’s composed himself, looking suspiciously inconspicuous. Luke stares at his mask for a moment.

“You didn’t do anything to him, did you?” Luke asks, trying to keep the trepidation out of his voice.

“Of course not. I’ve only demoted him and assigned him to work on some Outer-Rim assignment,” Darth Vader says nonchalantly. Luke’s irritation from before surges again.

“What—  _ why? _ ” Luke scowls, “why do you  _ always _ do this?”

His father seems genuinely baffled. “What do you mean? I take it you were dissatisfied with the match, the reason for Ensign Rook leaving twenty clicks prior to you.”

“What? No— were you not listening to your little microphone the whole time?” Luke mocks. He can feel Vader’s consternation and knows he’s toeing the line. “I liked him. I  _ like _ him. But you can’t keep,” he gestures frantically, trying to find the words, “ _ intruding _ on my personal life.”

He waits for his father to make the usual excuses of “but  _ you _ are the heir to an Empire”, but none come.

“Son, you know I find your smile . . .” Vader trails off, his voice modulator hissing.

“What?” Luke looks at his father hovering, as if hesitating. Darth Vader  _ never _ hesitated. He was the one who bent others to his will, not the other way around.

“You have your mother’s smile. I only wish to make you smile more.”

Luke felt a pang. He hates it when Vader pulls up the  _ dead mother _ card, but, damn it, it works. He  _ knows _ Vader only wants what’s best for him— and occasionally for him to take over the galaxy-wide Empire, but that’s another matter— he  _ knows _ that. He just wishes Vader didn’t always carry out that desire in such a Darth Vader-way.

“Dad. That’s not the issue here.”

Silence.

Luke wonders what the man Padmé knew was like.

Finally, Vader nods slowly. “I understand. Next time, I will take a step back.”

Luke raises an eyebrow. He reluctantly shrugs. “Okay, fine.”

What the hell did he just sign himself up for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaand that's 100% how bodhi ended up on eadu.
> 
> just think for a moment... about what confused dad vader looks like... for a sec... pfft.


	3. date 2: Ciena Ree

“You promise?” Luke asks, not really sure how much a guarantee it’ll give him.

“Yes, son. I’ve had your date psychologically evaluated with a thorough background-check, but I haven’t interfered with their mind at all. You have my word,” Darth Vader says. The vocalizer that modulates his voice somehow still conveys how genuine he is. Or maybe that’s just Luke’s projecting.

“Okay,” Luke says, smiling a bit nervously. _New week, new date, huh?_ He tries to get in the mood— he’s just a normal guy, going on a normal blind date. Psych evals and background checks— totally normal date things. Luke takes a deep breath in and steadies himself.

His hand on the door, he looks pointedly at his father.

It’s impossible for Darth Vader to sigh with the regulation of his breathing, but there’s definitely some reproach in the red glint of his visor. “Yes, yes— I’ll be leaving now.” 

Luke recollects himself. His father just wanted what was best for him— well and truly, even outside of the context of empire-conquering. Just . . . sometimes he was a bit much. But he tried to listen and now Luke was getting what he wanted— a date. 

Right— date.

Luke opens the door to little resistance and sees a similar set up to the prior one. His stomach drops a bit, and he’s not sure if he feels all that hungry. The second blind date is almost worse than the first— before, there wasn’t this anxious ball of energy in his gut that just made him want to curl up in his father’s office like when he was a boy. 

Back then, he’d been able to forget everything but the empty draw of the universe outside.

Luke sits down without preamble, looking forward woodenly, almost not registering the fact that there’s a beautiful woman sitting in front of him with an amused expression. The faint lights from the starviewer shone on her tan skin, dark wavy hair pulled up into a casual, but fitting hairdo.

It’s a woman who is utterly sure of herself and Luke realizes what an idiot he must look like. He really hopes these people aren’t introduced to him as “Darth Vader’s son”, because it really seems to just go downhill from there.

“I’m Ciena Ree, what’s your name?” Already, Ciena seems to be trying to put Luke more at ease than Bodhi— which is instantly far more intimidating to Luke. Now it’s _really_ obvious she thinks he’s some bumbling, nervous mess.

Well, she wouldn’t be entirely wrong.

“Luke. Uh, Skywalker,” Luke adds. Are they doing a first-name, last-name thing? Are they on a first-name basis? Force, this was so much easier when _he_ felt like the less nervous person in the room.

Luke’s eyes drift around the room, trying to find something to focus on. He looks back at Ciena, noticing upon closer glance that she’s still wearing her uniform. Not to mention, the black and distinctive insignia— _Black Squadron_.

The anxiety floods away from him. “You’re a pilot?” Luke exclaims unconsciously.

Ciena looks down, the first show of embarrassment he’s seen from her. It makes her seem more approachable.

“Oh, right, I didn’t have time to change out of my uniform— I hope you’ll forgive me. I just got off my shift when Lord Vader told me to come here.” She sounds sheepish.

The intimidation rears its head again. Luke internally gorans. Kriff— she looks _that_ good right off duty?

“I, uh— it’s fine.” Luke looks down, his natural ease at talking with people suddenly tongue-tied. The desire to talk to Ciena about all the places she’s been is like electricity under his skin, but there’s something holding him back.

Luke looks closer at Ciena. She’s _nice_ — hells, she’s gorgeous and intelligent and probably way out of Luke’s league— but there’s something _off_. He has the mind not the probe her’s with the Force, but something nudges him that he shouldn’t let this go.

“Is . . . everything alright?” Luke asks suddenly.

Something in Ciena’s expression crumples slightly, and the confidence she’d been exuding dissipates. She rubs a hand over her face, looking suddenly far too old for a recent graduate of the Imperial Academy. 

It’s different from the normal look of the Imperial officers Luke sees milling around after long shifts. She doesn’t look tired, she looks _weary_.

“I’m sorry, this is supposed to be a date— I shouldn’t be bringing all this personal mess into it—” Ciena starts, breaking eye contact..

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Luke says, moving his chair beside her. Comforting someone from across a table just felt weird. “Date’s are about getting to know someone, right? Tell me what’s wrong.”

A look flashes in Ciena’s eyes that looks suspiciously like guilt. She worries at her lip a bit then flashes a small smile at him. “I’m sorry, Luke. You seem like a great person, but . . . I can’t really do this when . . .”

“When you like someone else,” Luke offers. He realizes what the look in her eyes are— it’s longing. It’s the feeling he gets when he looks out into the dark of space and feels that tug in the Force that whispers to him that there might be more to his life than the plans his father has laid out.

Ciena laughs roughly. It takes Luke a moment to realize that she’s relaxed— her laugh sounds different when she wasn’t projecting. It’s nice.

Suddenly he has the image of his father shooting Ciena out the airlock for daring to like someone else other than his son and Luke looks to Ciena intently. “Hey, I’m not really in the mood to eat right now— do you want to go to the flight simulators and have a dogfight?”

Luke doubts they could sneak onto actual ships, but they should be able to find unoccupied flight sims. Since she mentioned being a pilot, Luke’s been antsy to see what a Death Squadron fighter flew like, even if in just a simulator. 

Something competitive rises up in Ciena and she gives that rough, delighted laugh again. The weariness subsides. “Oh? You think you can best me in a fight?” She quirks an eyebrow at him, “I’ve never seen you on the rosters. Do you fly?”

Luke’s smile fades, “yeah. My dad taught me, but I don’t get to go out much.”

Ciena reaches out and pats his shoulder. “Well, Skywalker, get ready to get your ass _destroyed_ .” There’s an unspoken _thank you_ in her gesture. As though Luke would have mocked her for her feelings.

Luke swallows down the lump in his throat. “Yeah, right.”

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Luke finds Darth Vader in his quarters when he returns.

“ _Father!_ ” He yelps. “What if I bring someone back from the dates?”

To his credit, Vader looks unperturbed at the thought. “I sensed that you were alone, son, and wished to determine what was off this time.”

Luke rolls his eyes and sits beside his father. His skin stills feel electric from the absolutely _insane_ dogfights Ciena and he had just done. It was euphoric to find someone so evenly matched— at the very least, it didn’t feel like when he was always trailing after his father. The flight sim room had echoed with their laughs and Ciena had easily conceded that he wasn’t “the worst pilot” she’d ever seen.

“Nothing was . . . off,” Luke says, a bit defensively. He feels Vader’s mind skirt around his, clearly holding himself back from searching it. Luke appreciates the effort.

“But?” Vader intoned.

Luke shrugs. “She likes someone else.” He looks up at his father, intently. “You can’t punish her for it. She’s a phenomenal pilot. The Empire needs her.”

Vader pauses at his words, his breathing filling the room. “An astute observation. Indeed, Commander Ree has performed exceptionally well. She will remain on the Black Squadron— so long as this creates no . . . emotional messiness for you?”

Luke bites back a smile at the matter-of-fact way that Vader showed his thoughtfulness. “Yes, yes. I’ll survive.” He flops back on his bed. “Now— can I go to sleep now, _father_?”

Vader is silent for a few moments before slowly standing. “Very well. And do remember to brush your teeth.”

“ _Dad_ .” He’s _allowed_ to sound petulant, damn it.

Vader seems unaffected and smoothly makes to leave. He dips his head at Luke. “Goodnight, Luke.”

Luke reluctantly smiles. “Night, father.”

He stays awake awhile longer, staring at the metal ceiling of his room. He can’t shake the sad look that had appeared on Ciena’s face at the thought of the other. _He defected_ , she’d admitted to him— about the mysterious other that still claimed her heart.

What was it like to have such dedication, love for someone else?

Sure, Luke loves his father dearly. He would do anything for him. But to love someone over distance and beliefs? It seems impossibly difficult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That moment when you try not to interfere with your son’s life (outside of setting him up on blind dates, of course) and you give him someone pinning for someone else. Real parenting struggles.  
> Also Luke is really Vader's son in that he hears his date went through a background check and just goes "aight sounds about right".

**Author's Note:**

> my [tumblr](https://ratpadawan.tumblr.com/)


End file.
